The notion of concept mapping has always been pretty basic for me, the activity was always a good way to brainstorm or evaluate how much information students had retained. The article The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct and Use Them by Joseph D. Novak & Alberto J. Cañas Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition has allowed me to now consider the intricacies of this tool. I also highly recommend that stakeholders that are serious about revolutionizing the teaching, learning and assessing process study this article as well.
It was interesting to note the philosophy and psychology that works as the premise of concept maps, the mapping itself engenders much more than just the presentation of ideas. Concept mapping allows for a transformation in the ways in which learners and teachers map the information that they experience or are required to engage. In the article the use of concept mapping is not limited to that of a brainstorming activity but examples are given of its possible usage throughout the the lesson or in a given topic. The evaluation of its use by students was also considered and actual attempts are being made to regularise the nature of this evaluation. The perpetual issue in trying new approaches to learning or teaching has been the inability to generate an appropriate means of assessing what was done, resulting in the use of traditional forms of assessment and an inaccurate assessment of the students progress.
Technology namely the use of the Cmap tools also gives a more hands-on approach to what can be done in the classroom and the ways in which it can enhance the learning process. The advantages and limitations are presented but it is clearly to the advantage of the learner that the concept of concept mapping and the use of software that supports its use be incorporated into the teaching and learning process.
I agree with the idea of using a concept maps for activities within the classroom.
ReplyDeleteThe graphical nature of the tool is very appealing to students. It allows for rapid representation of thoughts which helps to capture the momentum of whatever is being learnt or taught. It is great for communication because it is non-linear and appeals to students.
Students can visually represent summaries of difficult concepts so that they can evaluate their own learning and expand on ideas. The software is easy to use and very easy to navigate and allows for collaboration with a lot of stakeholders.
Teachers can use this tool to get an idea of how their students thought patterns are working towards a certain topic. This can then be evaluated and additions and corrections made. The teacher does not have to work through the clutter to establish whether a student has learnt a concept or not. Concept maps are very versatile and can be used for a variety of subject areas.